This invention relates to a wastewater treatment system and more particularly to a wastewater treatment system which improves the manner in which effluent is dispersed into the environment.
Small wastewater treatment systems are typically designed so that raw wastewater generated by a business or residence is discharged directly into a septic tank. Once discharged into the septic tank, the effluent is allowed to partially settle and is then passed into a dosing chamber. From the dosing chamber, the effluent is fed into a filter media, e.g. trickling filter bed and then collected in a central drain pipe. If the filter bed is a recirculating bed, the effluent is then directed toward a flow splitting device which separates the flow of the effluent. A portion of the effluent is then directed back into the filter bed while the remaining effluent is discharged into the environment. Because the remaining effluent is centrally located in the drainage pipe, it can be discharged expediently from a single point, often above ground. If, however, the filter bed is a single pass bed, none of the effluent is recirculated through the filter. Thus, there is no need for a flow splitting device. Once collected in the central drain pipe, the effluent passes directly to a central location, typically above ground, where it is then discharged into the environment.
While above ground discharge is the most expedient means of releasing effluent into the environment, it is quickly becoming an unacceptable means of discharge. Most adjoining property owners vehemently oppose having effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment facility draining across their land. Even having been treated, the effluent often produces noxious odors.
To resolve this problem, the effluent, instead of being discharged above ground, is discharged below ground through the use of either a gravity fed lateral field or a pressurized lateral field. A lateral field, whether gravity fed or pressurized, is traditionally comprised of a plurality of parallel drain pipes positioned generally equidistant from one another across a specified area underneath the ground. Once the effluent is collected in the central drain pipe, the effluent is then dispersed to the plurality of drain pipes for discharge into the environment. Each drain pipe in the lateral field has a plurality of orifices (i.e. small openings or holes) which allow the effluent to be released into the surrounding environment.
While the lateral fields have served as an effective means to discharge effluent below ground, the lateral fields are not without problems. One problem common to both types of lateral fields is that they are costly to install and require additional land. Additionally, the gravity fed lateral fields, in particular, often discharge large quantities of effluent in a relatively small area instead of evenly distributing the effluent across the field. While pressurized lateral fields help to combat the problem of inadequate distribution, the pressurized fields are even more costly than the gravity fed lateral fields because they not only require additional land but also an additional pump and pumping basin. The present invention overcomes these and other problems that are inherent with existing wastewater treatment systems by providing a system which is cost-effective, easy to install, easily expanded, and evenly distributes high quality effluent to the soil without the use of separate flow splitting devices, gravity fed lateral fields, or separate pressurized lateral fields.